Spearville man selected for Ford County 1st District commission seat

Farmer and former trucking company owner Shawn D. Tasset of Spearville was selected to finish Jerry King's term as county commissioner.

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By Christopher GuinnDodge City Daily Globe

Dodge City Daily Globe - Dodge City, KS

By Christopher GuinnDodge City Daily Globe

Posted Dec. 20, 2013 at 9:00 PM
Updated Dec 20, 2013 at 9:48 PM

By Christopher GuinnDodge City Daily Globe

Posted Dec. 20, 2013 at 9:00 PM
Updated Dec 20, 2013 at 9:48 PM

Shawn D. Tasset of Spearville was selected by Ford County 1st District Republicans to finish the term of Commissioner Jerry King, who is resigning at the end of the month.

Tasset was selected by the precinctmen and precintwomen in the second round of voting over Ford township trustee and Bucklin school board member Steven "Troy" Snook by a vote of 13-11. The third nominee, Jeannie Zortman, was eliminated in the first round.

All 24 members in the district voted, with four members voting by proxy.

During a brief question and answer session prior to the final vote, Tasset said he would focus on "efficient" spending by the county. He also said the so-called "Why Not Dodge?" special projects sales tax fund has been "mismanaged" and tensions between the county and Dodge City governments have prevented productive discussion on the jointly-managed fund.

"It does not seem like there is any compromise or any kind of give and take," he said.

"There are some hurdles that need to be cleared" between the two local governments, he said during a short speech before the first vote, though he said he is not familiar with the particulars concerning the tax fund.

Tasset started Tasset Trucking in 2001 and operated the business until he took over his father's farm in 2009, at which point he shifted his priority away from the company. The company's last annual report was filed in 2011.

Tasset is a lifelong member of Ford County, a veteran and has been married to Kelly Tasset for 20 years. The two have four children.

Tasset will take over King's term on Dec. 28. King was elected in 2011 for a four-year term. He is resigning to take a job in North Dakota.

In the last four years the Ford County Republican Party has taken part in filling six vacancies through the replacement process.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Shawn Tasset's last name.